Pharaoh Rejects Yahweh’s Authority and Makes Israel’s Troubles Worse
1 And afterward, Moses and Aaron went, and they said to Pharaoh, "Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel, 'Release my people so that they may hold a festival for me in the desert.'"
2
And Pharaoh said, "Who is Yahweh that I should listen to his voice to release Israel? I do not know Yahweh, and also I will not release Israel."
3
And they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go [on] a three-day journey into the desert, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our God, lest he strike us with plague or with sword."
4
And the king of Egypt said, "Why, Moses and Aaron, do you take the people from their work? Go to your {forced labor}!"
5
And Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land [are] now many, and you want to stop them from their {forced labor}."
6
And on that day Pharaoh commanded the slave drivers over the people and his foremen, saying,
7
"You must no longer give straw to the people to make the bricks like {before}. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8
But the quota of the bricks that they [were] making {before} {you must require of them}. You must not reduce from it, because they [are] lazy. Therefore they [are] crying out, saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'
9
Let the work be heavier on the men so that they will do it and not pay attention to words of deception."
10
And the slave drivers of the people and their foremen went out, and they spoke to the people, saying, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I [am] not giving you straw.
11
You go, get straw for yourselves from whatever you find because not a thing is being reduced from your work.'"
12
And the people spread out in all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for the straw.
13
And the slave drivers [were] insisting, saying, "Finish your work {for each day} on its day, as {when there was straw}."
14
And the foremen of the {Israelites}, whom Pharaoh's slave drivers had appointed over them, were beaten [by men who were] saying, "Why have you not completed your portion of brickmaking {as before, both yesterday and today}?"
The Foremen Complain to Pharaoh and Moses, and Moses Complains to Yahweh
15 And the foremen of the {Israelites} came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you treat your servants like this?
16
Straw [is] not being given to your servants, but [they are] saying to us, 'Make bricks!' and, look, your servants [are] being beaten, but it is the fault of your people."
17
And he said, "You [are] lazy, lazy! Therefore you [are] saying, 'Let us go; let us sacrifice to Yahweh.'
18
And now go, work, but straw will not be given to you, and you must give the full quota of bricks."
19
And the foremen of the {Israelites} saw they were in trouble {with the saying}, "You will not reduce from your bricks {for each day} on its day."
20
And they met Moses and Aaron, [who were] waiting to meet them when they [were] going out from Pharaoh.
21
And they said to them, "May Yahweh look upon you and judge because you have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants [so as] to put a sword into their hand to kill us."